The present invention relates to electronic musical instruments, tone generation control methods, and storage media, particularly to electronic musical instruments having a single-tone priority function (hereinafter referred to as solo function).
Conventionally known are electronic musical instruments that have a single-tone priority function (a function of controlling to generate a single tone only; so-called solo function). In such electronic musical instruments, it is known to select a priority key out of all other keys that were being depressed at the time of detecting a key OFF event, and re-generate the tone corresponding to the key (hereinafter referred to as re-trigger).
In re-triggering upon a key OFF event in legato play using such a single-tone priority function, the next tone is generated based on the touch detection value of the key the tone of which has been generated, as disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-15078 (1990).
That is, in legato play using the convention single-tone priority function, old data is erased every time a new touch detection value is taken in, and the touch detection signal of the key whose depression start timing is the latest among the keys selected as priority keys is stored in a storage means. Processing for re-triggering is done based on the latest key touch detection signal stored in the storage means, to control the volume of the next tone to be generated.
In the tone-generating method used in such a conventional electronic musical instrument, however, when a player likes to play with generating tones by selectively using weak and strong touches to obtain a delicate nuance, it often results in a play with an unnatural feeling.
However, for example, when the player wants to emphasize only one tone in a continuous play with weak touches, he or she strongly attacks the key for the tone to be emphasized. Accordingly, in such a case, since re-triggering executed upon a key OFF event in the conventional electronic musical instrument is also done to generate a tone based on the strong touch tone detection value, there is the problem that the next tone is generated to be undesirably loud.
Therefore, re-triggering with the velocity value of the tone that has been generated, does not always bring about a smooth play, and there is the case that re-triggering with a certain velocity value results in a play with an unnatural feeling.
In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to realize more natural and preferable legato play with re-triggered tones.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic musical instrument having a single-tone priority function. The instrument comprises touch detection value storage means for detecting the touch in relation to a depressed key and storing the value; priority key selection means for selecting the first priority key out of the keys that were being depressed when a key the tone of which has been generated is released; tone generation means for generating the tone corresponding to the first priority key selected by said priority key selection means; tone volume computation means for computing the volume of a tone to be generated by said tone generation means on the basis of the touch detection value in relation to the priority key stored in said touch detection value storage means, and the touch detection value in relation to the latest key; and tone generation control means for controlling to generate a tone with the volume computed by said tone volume computation means.
Besides, another feature of the electronic musical instrument is characterized in that said tone volume computation means computes said tone generation volume with the average value of the latest touch detection value and the touch detection value in relation to the priority key stored in said touch detection value storage means.
Besides, another feature of the electronic musical instrument is characterized in that said tone volume computation means does not use a touch detection value larger than a predetermined tone volume value, as data for computing said tone generation volume.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tone generation control method in an electronic musical instrument having a single-tone priority function. The method generates a re-triggered tone upon a key release, by executing a storage process of detecting the touch in relation to a depressed key and storing the value in touch detection value storage means; a priority key selection process of selecting the first priority key out of the keys that were being depressed when a key the tone of which has been generated is released; a tone generation process of generating, from tone generation means, the tone corresponding to the first priority key selected by said priority key selection process; a tone volume computation process of computing the volume of a tone to be generated in said tone generation means, on the basis of the touch detection value in relation to the priority key stored in said touch detection value storage means, and the touch detection value in relation to the latest key; and a tone generation control process of controlling to generate a tone with the volume computed by said tone volume computation process.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to function as the respective means making up the above electronic musical instrument.
Besides, another feature of the storage medium is characterized by storing a program for causing a computer to execute procedures of a method of controlling the above electronic musical instrument.
Every time a key is depressed, a new touch is detected and its value is stored in the touch data storage means in order, and a tone volume control of the next tone to be generated is made using the touch data stored in the above storage means. By this manner, a tone can be generated with a velocity value that causes a less unnatural feeling in the flow of play, while being influenced by the strength of the tone that has been generated. Thus satisfactory legato play using the solo function can be performed.